What is your property worth?

The essentials in brief

• The market value is what counts: the price a buyer actually pays under normal conditions – not the asking price in the listing.
• Three methods under the Property Valuation Act: the comparable-sales method for flats, the income method for rented houses, the cost method for single-family houses.
• Vienna 2025: an average of €5,212 per m² for owned flats, 5.5% more than 2024 (Statistik Austria, from purchase contracts).
• Lower Austria 2025: €3,089 per m² for owned flats.
• The spread within Vienna is large: district, neighbourhood, pre-war or new building and condition change the price more than any average.
• An expert appraisal from a court-certified surveyor is only needed in special cases, such as divorce, inheritance or court proceedings. For a sale, a well-founded assessment based on actual comparable prices is usually enough.

Market value, asking price, mortgage lending value – what is the difference?

• Market value: the price achievable in an ordinary sale. This is what matters for a sale.
• Asking price: the price in the listing. It is often above the eventual sale price because room for negotiation is factored in. Portals show asking prices, not sale prices.
• Mortgage lending value: the value a bank applies for the loan. It is deliberately cautious and usually lower than the market value.

What valuation methods are there?

The Property Valuation Act (Liegenschaftsbewertungsgesetz) recognises three methods. Which one fits depends on how the property is used.

In the comparable sales method, actually paid prices count. They appear in the purchase contracts of the land register's document collection. Agents, surveyors and data providers evaluate them and adjust for differences in size, floor or condition.

In the income method, the rate at which future rents are discounted is decisive. The higher it is, the lower the value. Tenancy-law limits, such as the reference rent in pre-war buildings, cap the income and thus the price.

In the cost method, the land value and the building's construction costs are applied and reduced for age. The result is then adjusted to the market, since no one automatically pays for a house what it would cost to rebuild it new.

What influences the price of a flat?

1. Location: district, neighbourhood, proximity to the underground and green space. In Vienna, individual streets in the same district often differ widely.
2. Pre-war or new building: new builds and first occupancy cost noticeably more per m² than used flats.
3. Condition and energy: need for renovation, heating, windows and the energy certificate (HWB, fGEE).
4. Floor and lift: upper floors with a lift fetch more; ground floor facing the street fetches less.
5. Outdoor space: a balcony, terrace or garden is scarce in Vienna and gets paid for.
6. Layout and light: room arrangement, orientation, ceiling height.
7. Building and reserve fund: a well-funded reserve and no outstanding major renovations. Since 2026 a statutory minimum contribution of €1.12 per m² per month applies.
8. Legal matters: an existing lease, a right of residence or a building right reduce the price for buyers who want to move in themselves.

How high are prices in Vienna and Lower Austria?

The figures differ because the sources measure differently. Statistik Austria evaluates actual purchase contracts for all flats. The Chamber of Commerce's price mirror separates new-build and used flats and is based on assessments by agents and surveyors. For any specific flat, both serve only as a frame of reference.

According to the Austrian National Bank, residential property prices in Vienna rose 2.9% in 2025, against inflation of 3.8%. In real terms, flats have therefore become somewhat cheaper.

Who values a property – and when do you need an appraisal?

• Agent: a market price assessment based on actual comparable prices and a viewing is the basis for the asking price in a sale.
• Court-certified surveyor: an appraisal under the Property Valuation Act is needed when the value must hold up legally – in divorce, inheritance or court proceedings. It usually costs from a few hundred to several thousand euros depending on the property. Surveyors can be found in the official register of the judiciary.
• Bank: it values for the loan, not for the sale. Its mortgage lending value is no yardstick for the sale price.

Online calculators give a rough range based on asking prices. They do not know the condition, floor, reserve fund or layout – and in Vienna these factors alone often account for a 15–20% difference.

How ImmoLöwin values a property

We view the flat, check the land register, the energy certificate and the building's documents, and compare them with actual sale prices from the same location. You receive a price range with reasoning and a recommendation for the asking price. What happens next is shown in the guide How selling a property works. Request a valuation.